Pondering Earth Day

Captain: Wait, that doesn't look like Earth.

Where's the blue sky?

Where's the grass?

Wall- E (2008)

In the movie Wall-E, a lone robot is left with the unthinkable task of cleaning up Earth. The Humans had left many hundreds of years before, and were floating around on a space ship, preparing for a return once Earth was all cleaned up. By this time, however, they were so obese that they could only lounge around on hover chairs. All their meals were delivered by straws. (YUCK).

On Earth, Wall-E shares his life with his only friend, a cockroach, and spends his time collecting artifacts and watching old VHS movies. One day he finds a small plant, and recognizing that is has some value, plants it in an old dirt filled shoe.

Eve, a reconnaissance Robot, is deployed from the space ship to see if there's any life form on Earth. Wall-E falls in love with Eve (Eveeeea), but she really is only interested in her mission. She gets wisked away back to the mother ship - with WALL-E hanging onto the side. A big adventure ensues and their fate is truly unclear.

If this isn't all totally depressing, the ending does have some hope, with Wall-E and Eve returning to Earth with the plant, to discover that outside the junk city, plants are beginning to grow. Eve reboots Wall-E and they fall in love - robot style and I'm thinking live happily ever after.

In recognition of Earth Day, it does give me time to pause and think about our valuable resources. How we need to appreciate what we have - always in life. How we shouldn't take things for granted. How we need to take care of the things that are important to us - both material things, and certainly our own bodies. Gratitude is a big helper ... feeling grateful for our place on this planet, honoring the many gifts we've all been given, and having respect for the Earth, can help prevent what Wall-E was faced with.

Being the good stewards of our Earth ... will make it a better place for those who come behind us. We owe them that !!!

Cool Tip: Instead of using ceramic pots for plants, use Ice Cream Containers. How fun will they all look - all the flavors and graphics ... and it's so good for our planet (maybe not our waistlines ... but in moderation - I say it's OK !)

Elwood P. Dowd: I always have a wonderful time, wherever I am, whomever I'm with.

Harvey (1950 Film with James Stewart)

Elwood P. Dowd was an incredibly optimistic man who believed that he was accompanied by a 6ft Tall White Rabbit named Harvey. No one actually sees Harvey, to Elwood he is quite real. Elwood's sister takes great offense with the notion of her brothers invisible friend and has Elwood committed to a local sanitarium. (In today's world he'd probably be admitted to some type of rehab but back then it was the classic mental hospital with the guys in white coats).Through out his entire ordeal Elwood never looses his conviction about having this invisible spirit besides him. In the end even the neigsayers aren't sure ... and you're left with the feeling that Harvey was indeed very real.

To have a sense of conviction and an optimistic attitude can only serve us well. To keep life going in a positive way, it's important to have a positive attitude. Our life is very much lived in our thoughts and perceptions. Have uplifting thoughts and you'll have a better day. Be cheerful and upbeat and you'll see the results. Keep those invisible negative pals away.

Call me crazy, but I too believe that there are spirits or forces that we actually don't see. I try really hard only to make friends with the good ones !!! So have a wonderful Easter in the Elwood P. Dowd tradition.

Cool Tip: If you've ever suffered with Hat Hair (under your Easter Bonnet or any other Bonnet) ... (for short hair) use a spray bottle of water to get rid of the effects , (for longer hair) try putting it in a scrunchy on top of your head before you wear your hat, baseball cap or riding helmet. If all else fails, dry shampoo can help.

Girl: How come you don't play (your music) during the daytime? I see you here everyday.

Guy: During the daytime people would want to hear the songs that they know, just songs that they recognize. I play these songs at night or I wouldn't make any money. People wouldn't listen.

Girl: I listen.

Once

This quote was from the 2007 film set in Dublin (now that's a St Patrick's Day Tie-In!). The story was one of two individuals who share a passion for music. They have a romantic interlude, and it looks like it may be a happy ending for the two of them together ... but because of complications and former involvements their paths part. She couldn't follow him to London,, where he was pursuing his music, because she had a little kid and an estranged husband - who she then reconciled with.

The two lessons for me in this film, are to follow your dreams and to be responsible to your obligations. It truly is possible.

Following your passion is essential to having a truly meaningful life. It's not a selfish thing, because the happier you are the happier you can be for the people around you. Sometimes finding a passion isn't so easy ... but with some introspection and sometimes some guidance, there's passion inside all of us.

Cool Tip: See the movie Once (it has an amazing soundtrack) and if you're GREEN with ENVY - find another color !!!

Wilma Dean: (voiceover) Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendor in the grass, glory in the flower, we will grieve not: rather find strength in what remains behind.

Splendor In The Grass

We've all lost an hour last night (with the beginning of Day Light Savings),

fortunately we'll get that hour back in the fall. But there are many loses that are more difficult to recapture. The more you live life, the more losses you seem to accumulate. Now I'm not talking lost car keys or glasses (which seem to become more prevalent with the passage of time!), but rather the loss of loved ones, friendships, a relationship, beloved pets, a job, youthfulness.

Things change, losses occur, it's inevitable. What is not inevitable is to fold under the weight of these losses. Time is valuable, we've only got so much - it's important to use it wisely ... FEEL the LOSS and MOVE ON (it helps to find the car keys so you can drive to a friends house and commiserate).

There's no time to be wasting. This is the real thing. Happiness is a choice and sometimes effort is needed. We've lost one hour already - no need to be losing any more!

Cool Tip: Want to avoid that time consuming, frustrating, infuriating feeling when you're threading a needle and the thread gets all tangled up? Rub a dryer sheet on the thread - and it'll straighten itself all out. See you've got much more time to enjoy yourself already !!!!

Beth: You're changing that boys life.

Leigh Anne Touhy: No, he's changing mine.

The Blind Side

The glitter and hoop-la have mostly died down from last night's Academy Awards. What is left are the compelling thoughts that are raised by the nights nominated films. I did love Avatar, with it's message of self discovery, The Hurt Locker certainly showed heroism and commitment, Up fulfilled a life long dream - even if it took tens of thousands of balloons to get there. But none more affected me than The Blind Side.

Leigh Anne Touhy had such caring, heart and compassion. She truly was blind to color, comments or criticism. She dug deep and truly changed the life of a young man, whose outcome could easily have gone another way. There are lessons to be learned from Hollywood, and this year proved to be a Master Class.

Cool Tip: Every wonder how those Hollywood Stars keep their plunging necklines intact?

Top Stick (available in Beauty Supply Stores), originally a toupee tape ... now widely used for all of types things!!

And The Winner Is?

Neytiri: To become "taronyu, hunter, you must
choose your own Ikran and he must also choose you.

Jake Sully: When?

Neytiri: When you are ready.

Avatar

With this town gearing up for the Academy Awards, I'm reminded of how it feels to be a winner and how it feels to be that loser. Losing isn't the best position, but honestly it's part of the game of life ... and if we attach too much to either winning or losing, we miss the opportunity to experience the game in the first place. I do wonder how those losers (with big TV cameras on them), clap and smile and look SO unfazed !

I personally need a moment to regroup after a disappointment ... but hopefully the regroup doesn't take very long! As Neytiri says in Avatar ... "when you are ready" ... so in life really. Being ready for whatever presents itself is key to the amount of grace that we handle situations with.

We're all winners ... really .. award or not!

Cool Tip: If you find yourself at the Academy Awards (or any other leg revealing event), during the long winter ... consider using L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Self Tanning Towelettes (surely beats a quick trip to the Tropics and costs less too).

Life is like a box of chocolates -

you never know what your going to get.

Forrest Gump

On this Valentine's Day it's easy to reflect on Valentine's past ... being crazy in love, having a broken heart (that you (or I) felt would never mend), helping a small kid make Valentines' for his/her classmates, receiving a special Valentine from that little kid (who in my case is all grown up) ... but one thing is for sure .. they are all varied, just like Forrest Gump says "you never know what you're going to get. Certainty is just not part of the mix.

So wherever you may be on this Valentine's Day - grab your loved ones and give them a big HUG all around.

Cool Tip: AND if you need some chocolate - go for it .. if you happen to get some on your clothes - forget those stain remover sticks or baby wipes or even Shout or Zout ... use good old dishwashing detergent - that's what gets the stain out. And if you're heart needs some mending too, have FAITH .. it will.